"A Strange Brand Of Love"

Arp2 · Post by **Arp2** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 7:30 pm

Thanks to a growing hatred of complex electronics, you're a whole lot cooler than you know....

.

SPIKE NESMITH! · Post by **SPIKE NESMITH!** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 8:17 pm

the article wrote:Get ready for what has got to be the all-time greatest sleeper of a tech trend: Radios, I kid you not, are making a comeback in 2008.

And we're not talking iPod-like portable thingies, but big, expensive desktop radios. Mark my words, they'll be downright cool in the coming year.

Programmers take note: you had better have something entertaining to put on it, or we may be pissing away our last chance at independent local radio being competitive.

Clay JD Walker · Post by **Clay JD Walker** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 9:30 pm

I have been suprised on a number of different levels with HD radio sets...I have one of the first gen 'Directed' HD Radio sets in my house and on my desk, and the station vehicles have the add-on HD radio in them. It's amazing, that in the matter of a year, how the technology has changed, with iTunes tagging (totally facinating, with PAD technology). The only hang-up I've seen so far with HD Radio simply is that consumer electronic stores, such as Circuit City, have no clue about HD Radio. Certainly, they have one boombox/desktop unit, and one car reciever, but they're manufactured by no-name or less-reputable companies. I haven't heard of Directed until I got the HD Radios...now Sony has a unit out, and that's great, but the broadcasters shouldn't be the only ones facing the brunt of this entire fight to distribute HD Radio.

Sorry to kinda drift a bit...it's one of those issues I stand strong about.

Honestly, take a listen to HD vs. Analog...I have sort of an old/new school hybrid here at the house, with the HD tuner running in my circa 1979 Kenwood, through the 30 year old Advents...such a wide, well balanced sound...

HD-2, by the way, when executed properly, is a great way to 'revive' that 'fun' part of radio...not as much pressure when it comes to programming, but yet you can provide content that isn't available elsewhere...for example, WPAW-HD2 is the commercial-free version of WMQX (The Wolf's predecesor, Oldies 93)...so when those few who haven't converted to country complain about missing Oldies 93 (**SORRY BOB**), I note about the HD2...again, sorry Bob...most say that they've gone the way of Majic, which is still cool to me...even if your hot sidekick dumped ya.

Alright...I've said enough...

AmpedNow · Post by **AmpedNow** » Sat Jan 12, 2008 12:46 am

Just about all of those tabletop radios include wi-fi, which equals thousands of stations worldwide. iPod docks also encourage people to continue using them for music.

And then, there's AM and FM.

The next-gen HD chips look more promising. They are small enough for portables and use less energy. The problem is that the price points are still too high for many. There's also the astounding lack of awareness of HD, despite all of the hype and free commercial time in major markets.

Then, in places like WV, HD might as well not exist. Almost no one is broadcasting with it, and nobody ever mentions its existence. Will we ever see the day when every rated market in WV will have at least one HD, HD-2 station, or no?

HD or not, the days of the automated jukebox are over. In the future, maybe, just maybe, a well-treated airstaff capable of producing great content will be considered more important than an office full of throat slashing sales weasels...

Or, no?

BTW, that new Sony tabletop HD radio is sweet. Sounds great, too.

199 smackers, yet utterly worthless in WV.

The Big Ear · Post by **The Big Ear** » Sat Jan 12, 2008 1:33 am

I think wi fi sets could really be fantastic ... especially at night around here where everyone is on 2 watts and you lose signal once you leave the parking lot of a local AM station. Plus you wouldn't have the dropout phases of far away AMs if you like listening to those too. (Flipping between AM 1000 and WFAN to find a good sports signal sucks some nights)

Anybody have a good wi fi radio they'd like to suggest? Anybody have a bad one they should tell us to stay away from before we go drop some bucks?

Tom Taggart · Post by **Tom Taggart** » Sat Jan 12, 2008 12:02 pm

CC is cutting back air staff and extending shifts ( or adding V/T duties) in major markets on the main channel.

So, doubling the number of channels will end jukebox radio?

Yea, right.

HD is dead, it just hasn't received a proper burial yet.

Cameron · Post by **Cameron** » Sat Jan 12, 2008 5:15 pm

Clay JD Walker wrote:...for example, WPAW-HD2 is the commercial-free version of WMQX (The Wolf's predecesor, Oldies 93)...so when those few who haven't converted to country complain about missing Oldies 93 (**SORRY BOB**), I note about the HD2...again, sorry Bob...most say that they've gone the way of Majic, which is still cool to me...even if your hot sidekick dumped ya.

Alright...I've said enough...

Everyone thinks the "commercial-free" element of HD2 is some cool idea dreamed-up by hyper-creative, edgy programmers. Let's cut to brass tacks. If you ante-up the extra extortion-money to Ibiquity licensing HD2, you sign a CONTRACT prohibiting commercials on HD2 for the period of 1 year. After that, Ibiquity gets a yearly cut of your profits just like the yearly cut they get from the primary channel. But then again, that may not be the case for the large groups' backdoor deals.

It seems there's so much work building technology to make the receivers sensitive-enough to overcome IBOC's coverage-shortfalls. Wow, imagine what a great analog radio that would make. Did the manufacturers build in a fallback to a ram-based mp3 when the HD2 dissapears while driving?

I bet when the IP-based wireless technologies take a foothold, there will be little use for HD2, HD3 and AM IBUZZ.

The large markets where proponents of IBOC hoped it would take-off will have the largest number of listeners abandon it because the Wi-Fi/WiMax buildouts will hit there first.